Chapter Thirty-Three: He Did Not Succeed

Just then, a maid’s voice sounded from outside the door.

"Miss, someone is here to see you."

Xu Lan snapped back to reality, raised her eyes toward the door, and asked, "Who is it?"

"It is Miss Zhi Yuan from the Prince Lin Mansion."

Zhi Yuan?

Xu Lan was stunned. She was here to see her? What for?

Before long, a realization dawned on her, and a flicker of panic briefly crossed her face. However, she quickly suppressed it and regained her composure.

She took a deep breath. "All right, I understand!"

She slowly pulled back the quilt, rose from the bed, and straightened her clothes. Looking at her slightly flushed face and glistening eyes in the bronze mirror, she bit her lower lip, then shook her head. Only when she had completely calmed down and no trace of abnormality remained did she let out a sigh of relief.

She turned and opened the door. The maid had been waiting for some time.

"Let’s go."

Xu Lan spoke faintly, stepped out of the room, and made her way to the main hall of the Xu residence. In the pavilion, Zhi Yuan, dressed in a purple robe, stood waiting.

"Miss Zhi Yuan?"

A smile appeared on Xu Lan’s face as she walked forward. "What brings you here to see me today?"

The Lin and Xu families were old family friends, both residing in Linjiang City, so it was only natural that Xu Lan and Zhi Yuan knew each other. Although Zhi Yuan was nominally a maid of the Prince Lin Mansion, no one who knew her ever viewed her as a mere servant. As the eldest daughter of the Xu family and a frequent visitor to the Prince Lin Mansion, Xu Lan was well-acquainted with her, and their relationship was reasonably good—at least on the surface.

Zhi Yuan looked at Xu Lan, scanned her appearance, and nodded slightly. "Miss Xu, I apologize for the intrusion."

"Not at all. It is still early, and I have nothing else to do. It is good to have the chance to talk with you."

Xu Lan waved her hand, dismissed the servants in the hall, and led Zhi Yuan to a seat. She then brought up the matter at hand. "By the way, Miss Zhi Yuan… what brings you here?"

Zhi Yuan nodded slightly, her gaze lingering on Xu Lan’s face for a moment before she spoke. "I am here today regarding what happened this afternoon..."

As she spoke, the change in Xu Lan’s expression was palpable. After a moment of silence, Zhi Yuan continued, "Did His Highness bully you today, Miss Xu?"

"No..."

Xu Lan instinctively wanted to deny it, but her heart skipped a beat when she met Zhi Yuan’s calm, unfathomable gaze. She knew how formidable this maid beside the Prince Lin heir was—meticulous in thought, exceptionally clever, and highly valued by Master Lin. How could the events of this afternoon escape her notice? If she lied, it would only arouse more suspicion.

With that thought, Xu Lan hid the strange look in her eyes and gritted her teeth. "That’s right, he did bully me!"

A flash of surprise crossed Zhi Yuan’s eyes before she returned to her calm demeanor. She looked at Xu Lan and said quietly, "Miss Xu, His Highness’s actions today were a result of my negligence, which led to your reputation being compromised. I apologize to you on his behalf..."

"However, please rest assured, Miss Xu. The Prince Lin Mansion will certainly take full responsibility and provide you with a proper explanation. We will not let your dignity be slighted."

Xu Lan looked bewildered. Compromised reputation? Slighting dignity? Wait... why did that sound so wrong?

Zhi Yuan continued, "When the Prince returns to the mansion, I will inform him of this matter, and he will personally come to your father to propose and offer a betrothal gift..."

Xu Lan was stunned. After a long moment, she realized what was happening! Was Zhi Yuan misunderstanding something? Her face turned bright red, and she hurriedly waved her hands. "No, that’s not it... You’ve misunderstood..."

"He—he didn’t bully me in that way..."

Zhi Yuan looked at the flustered, crimson-faced Xu Lan with slight confusion. "In what way... did he bully you?"

"It’s just that..."

Xu Lan took a deep breath to steady herself, a look of gritted-teeth frustration appearing on her reddened face. "He, he..."

She wanted to explain that she and Lin Jiangnan had simply had a fight in the room that afternoon. But as the words reached her lips, she felt something was off. In a room? Two people? A man and a woman alone? A fight? Not to mention whether Zhi Yuan would believe it, the more important point was that Xu Lan was a ninth-grade expert, while the Prince Lin heir was widely known as a useless weakling. In terms of martial arts, the heir could not possibly be her match. A fight? This excuse seemed a bit... absurd.

Even though that was indeed what happened, she was worried Zhi Yuan would see through it. After all, why would they fight for no reason?

"We... we had a small disagreement, a minor conflict..."

A small disagreement? A minor conflict? Zhi Yuan looked at Xu Lan’s flushed face, suspicion rising in her heart. Was it really just a minor conflict? Why else would she have fled the mansion that afternoon in such disarray, with a flushed face and stumbling steps? She was clearly hiding something. Or perhaps...

Zhi Yuan’s eyes turned cold as she seemed to realize something. She said in a deep voice, "Miss Xu, do not worry. The Prince will see justice done for you."

"The Xu and Lin families have been friends for generations. You need not fear threats from His Highness. The Prince is always fair and will never shield him..."

Xu Lan was confused. Shield him? Wait... she looked at Zhi Yuan’s eyes. Could it be that she thought she had been threatened by that guy?

"Really, it wasn’t like that..." Xu Lan whispered, blushing. When she met Zhi Yuan’s worried and solemn gaze, it was clear that she had already made up her mind. Her heart sank. It was over! She couldn't explain it clearly now. Every clue and every sign seemed to point to the same conclusion.

Xu Lan’s face felt hot. If this misunderstanding grew, the situation might spiral out of control. She took a deep breath and made a decision. She said in a voice as soft as a mosquito’s hum, "He... he didn’t succeed."

"..."

Didn't succeed? That meant...

Zhi Yuan realized, "So, His Highness really did... to you..."

"Yes..." Xu Lan lowered her head, her face burning with shame as she bit her lip. This was the only way, a desperate measure.

Zhi Yuan could never have imagined that Xu Lan would sacrifice her own reputation to hide something. Therefore, she did not doubt her words. All signs indicated that something must have happened in the heir's room that afternoon. If His Highness had intended to act improperly but failed... everything seemed to make sense.

Zhi Yuan’s gaze hardened. "Miss Xu, rest assured. I will inform the Prince of this as well, and he will give you a proper answer!" Even if he did not succeed, the matter was still grave. If not handled well, it would jeopardize the relationship between the two families.

"No, there’s no need..." Xu Lan quickly protested. Seeing Zhi Yuan look at her with confusion, she took a deep breath, a flicker of resentment appearing in her eyes.

"I will take my own revenge for this."

Under Zhi Yuan’s calm gaze, Xu Lan gritted her teeth and said indignantly, "This is between him and me. It has nothing to do with your mansion. I will settle this score with him myself..."

"..."

Noticing that the suspicion in Zhi Yuan’s eyes was gradually fading, Xu Lan felt a sense of relief. She had finally... managed to bluff her way through.

Zhi Yuan was silent for a moment. Miss Xu’s personality was indeed like that. It wasn't the first time she had claimed she would never let the heir off the hook, but in the end, it was nothing more than harsh words and petty, behind-the-scenes retaliation; there was never any real substance to it.

But this time... Zhi Yuan glanced at Xu Lan, as if realizing something.

"Regardless, I must apologize to you on behalf of His Highness for what happened today." Zhi Yuan sighed in relief. "If this has caused any trouble for you, our mansion will take full responsibility."

"It’s fine..." Xu Lan waved her hand absentmindedly. "This is a grudge between him and me; it has nothing to do with the mansion. Please, Miss Zhi Yuan, don't take it to heart."

"If that is the case, then I will not disturb you further."

Zhi Yuan nodded and slowly rose to leave, but then, as if remembering something, she turned back. "Miss Xu?"

"Yes?" Xu Lan’s heart tightened. "Is there something else?"

Zhi Yuan hesitated. "There is one more thing I would like to ask you."

"What is it? Please, go ahead."

Zhi Yuan’s calm, beautiful eyes rested on Xu Lan. "Miss Xu... have you noticed anything unusual about His Highness lately?"

"..."